What is it like to visit the Cotswolds in January?
If you’re planning to visit the UK, or the Cotswolds in January, read our blog post for inspiration!
Although many people like to travel in warmer weather seasons, there are many advantages of winter travel. Perhaps it’s the only time of year you can take a holiday? Perhaps you’re visiting for business, or to visit relatives, and want to make the most of your time?
Whatever the reason, Go Cotswolds’ guided tours of the Cotswolds are available all year round, including January – come and join us!
We love January travel!
As the owners of a tour company, we are very busy in the height of summer so we can’t often get away. Business is much quieter in January, so for several Januaries in a row, we took a vacation.
In previous years we have skied in Austria and Italy, safaried throughout southern Africa, road-tripped around the USA, and ate our way across India (that’s us pictured at the Taj Mahal in 2017!). When our daughter came along, we continued our winter travels, with January 2019 spent in Spain, and January 2020 in Cyprus.
But thanks to “you-know-what”, we were robbed of our January holiday in 2021. This was extra sad because it was the last time we could’ve taken a January holiday before our daughter started school!
So now, big January holidays are out for us. But, the good news is, we are now here in the UK and able to offer tours of the Cotswolds to all you folks planning a winter trip to the UK!
3 Things you need to know about visiting the Cotswolds in January
1. It’s so lovely and quiet in the Cotswolds in January
One of the best reasons to visit the Cotswolds in January is because everyone else will be visiting in the summer!
Yes, January in the Cotswolds is a much less busy time of year for tourists, so you’ll have all those beautiful Cotswold villages to yourself! Wander the streets of Bibury alone, pick up a January bargain at a Stow-on-the-Wold store without standing in a long queue, or admire the countryside at Dover’s Hill without anyone else spoiling your view.
Our best-selling Cotswolds in a Day tour is often fully booked weeks in advance during the summer months. But in the off-season, we have much better availability, sometimes even at last minute. Come and join us!
2. It can be cold in the Cotswolds in January (but so pretty!)
I guess each person’s perception of ‘cold’ is different depending on where you’re from. But what I mean is, January is typically the coldest time of year in the UK. The average temperature in the Cotswolds in January is approximately 1-6°C (around 30-40°F).
If you’re lucky, it might snow – and there is certainly a much greater chance of snow in January than at Christmas-time! (Have I told you before about how I’ve never experienced a White Christmas in England?! It’s true!) But snow in the middle-to-south-west of England is never guaranteed, and is more the exception than the rule!
While it can often be cold, the best days in the Cotswolds in January are chilly, crisp and clear. The kind of days where your breath freezes and your cheeks are rosy. And the winter sun casts a golden glow over that gorgeous honey-coloured Cotswold stone. It’s the best time to take those unforgettable Instagram pictures!
It really is the perfect weather for popping on a warm coat and scarf, and taking a tour of the beautiful Cotswold villages!
3. It gets dark earlier in the Cotswolds in January
By January, we are past midwinter and the days are finally starting to get longer. However, January is still relatively dark. There’s an average of just 54 hours of sunshine for the whole month! So, make sure to top up your Vitamin D by getting outside as much as possible in January!
So when you’re visiting the Cotswolds in January, don’t forget that the days are short. We wrap up our Cotswolds tours around 17.00pm, when (in winter) it will already be starting to get dark. Longer nights though give you a great excuse to retire to a cosy pub fireplace with a glass of something warming!
Ready to book your tour of the Cotswolds in January?
Our best-selling Cotswolds in a Day tour run throughout January and February, with more availability in the spring and summer months. And our Secret Cotswolds tour runs weekly in January. And, good news: for direct bookings, we won’t cancel your tour because of low numbers! Our excellent reputation means that you’ll rarely be the only person on a tour, but if you are, we’re happy to honour your booking. After all, we don’t want to spoil your holiday!
Private tours for groups of up to 16 people are also available – click here for our ‘off the shelf’ private tours, or here to read about custom-made day trips.
Just need group transport, without a guide? Then, check out our minibus hire options.
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